Washington: Stopping short of declaring complete victory, US President George W Bush has said major fighting in Iraq was over but warned "dangerous" work against terrorism still lay ahead and that all "outlaw" regimes would be confronted.

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the US and our allies have prevailed," Bush said on May 2 from the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln which was returning to its home port on the West Coast after 10 months of service in support of the military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Stopping short of declaring complete victory or an end to the war, Bush warned that "difficult work" lies ahead in Iraq and "dangerous work" in Afghanistan.

"The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11, 2001, and still goes on," Bush told some 5,000 sailors on the carrier.

At the same time, Bush made it clear that there will be no early retreat from Iraq, saying the transition from dictatorship to Democracy will take time but it is worth every effort. "Our coalition will stay until our work is done, and then we will leave, and we will leave behind a free Iraq."

The liberation of Iraq, he said, was crucial in the campaign against terror. "We have removed an ally of al-Qaida and cut off a source of terrorist funding."

"Our mission continues. Al-Qaida is wounded, but not destroyed. The scattered cells of the terrorist network still operate in many nations and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people," Bush said.

The war against terror, Bush said, is not over, yet it is not endless. "We don't know the day of final victory but we have seen the turn of the tide. No act of the terrorists will change our purpose or weaken our resolve or alter their fate. Their cause is lost. Free nations press on to victory."

While pledging loyalty to any nation that helps in America's anti-terrorist campaign, Bush said, "Any outlaw regime that has ties to terrorist groups and seeks or possesses weapons of mass destruction, is a grave danger to the civilised world, and will be confronted."

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The US President said, "We are committed to freedom in Afghanistan, In Iraq and in a peaceful Palestine. The advance of freedom is the surest strategy to undermine the appeal of terror."

"In the battle of Afghanistan, we destroyed the Taleban, many terrorists, and the camps where they trained. We continue to help the Afghan people lay roads, restore hospitals and educate all their children. Yet we also have dangerous work to complete."

"And as I speak, a special operations task force ... is on the trail of terrorists, and those who seek to undermine the free government of Afghanistan. America and our coalition will finish what we began," Bush said.

PTI